A Source of Power
by lachesis108
Summary: Why did Luc decide to do all those destructive things that would even kill himself despite having people that care for him and would cry over his death? Maybe that's exactly the reason why. But it's just too complicated for the young teleportress to figure out. Bittersweet all the way, may contain hints of Luc x Viki, a Suikoden II-III fic.
1. Wavering

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Suikoden or any of the characters, no matter how hard I tried to own Luc for myself. (Yeah, you don't say :P)**

**A/N: Hi, welcome to my second Suikoden fic! :D I really am new in this whole writing thing, so please be patient with me... *bow* I'm doing my very best, though! I have decided that this fic will be just four chapters long, and I'm only going to bug you with my ramblings in the beginning of the first chapter here, and on the end of the last chapter. Oh, and to make it clear, the ****sentences**** typed in bold that you'll find throughout this story is Luc's inner thoughts. Sooo, please enjoy!**

**Chapter one**

**Wavering**

Luc was surrounded by very old walls and the floor he stepped on could already be called ancient. He's in a Sindar Ceremonial Site ruins, all by himself, performing the most important ritual in his life to destroy his nefarious True Wind Rune and his body along with it. Sarah, Albert, and Yuber were buying him the time by summoning a swell of monster and illusion armies to confront the Fire Bringers.

Sarah. Her condition was alarming. She seemed to be straining herself too much lately, but so did Luc. And there's too many things going on in Luc's head that he unconsciously kicked out the concern from his head. But still, in a moment like that where the air was too quiet and the time seemed to freeze, her name popped out in his mind.

Luc did care about her. But it sucks to admit that the only reason why his mind would wander now of all times was solely because of hesitation. He froze a moment while the small hesitation turned bigger and overwhelmed him. He closed his eyes.

**Why now? **Luc knew from the start that there'd be no turning back once he had stained his hands with the blood of innocent lives. Luc wouldn't pretend to be a good guy saying that he's sorry, instead he intended to bear all the guilt and live with it without whining. He was so determined; all for nothing but a goal.

So why hesitate now...?

"-Achoo!"

Luc jumped back a few steps from the shock. A sneeze, and that particular one to be exact, was the last thing he'd expect to break the silence. A painful feeling struck his chest even earlier than the sight of the very familiar face when he gradually recovered from his shock.

"Huh? Where am I now?" Viki started looking around with a troubled face. Luc didn't budge nor he made any sound, he just stood there watching as Viki turned around and found him. "Oh, Luc! Thank goodness! ...Or are you not Luc? I met you a while back in the castle, but people kept telling me that you're not you. They called you Sasha...something. And they said Luc is the bad guy who wants to destroy the continent or something...but there's no way, right? I mean, look at you! You're still the Luc I know."

Luc just watched silently how Viki's eyes rolled here and there; how the pointy part of her hair sprang here and there while she's speaking. Nothing other than genuine glee beamed with her smile; the last scenery he'd expect to see in the last minutes of his cursed life.

Luc almost jumped again in shock before looking around in panic. He released a relieved sigh after he had made sure that no one was being teleported along with the clumsy girl. He almost forgot to consider that possibility back there, which could have put him and his important ritual in great danger.

"Huh? What are you looking for?"

"Nothing."

**...That's right. This girl's life won't be spared either when the destructive force of the destroyed True Wind Rune is released later.**

Luc finally realized. It's not a mere hesitation he's experiencing at the moment. Luc was doubting what good it could really bring to destroy a True Rune and sacrificing so many lives. Luc had lost his purpose. He just...lost sight of the point of all this struggling and fighting. Was it revenge...? Or was it salvation...?

"Luc? Hey, Luc?" Viki'd been desperately calling out his name, but he didn't give any sign of noticing for a while back there. After a while, he then just lifted his face to face Viki with a dead look in his eyes.

"Luc, are you not feeling well?" Viki looked worried. "And speaking of sickness, I think I might just catch a... a..."

It's already too late when the warning arrived at Luc's consciousness.

"Viki, no-"

"-Achoo!"

The ancient Sindar ruins disappeared and less than a second later Luc ended up in a completely different place. However, the tall stone building in front of him wasn't newly built either and awfully familiar...

"Hey, Luc, that's Luc! I mean, another Luc!"

Luc realized that Viki was right there too (that's good), and was pointing at somewhere behind him.

**Shit. **Following where Viki was pointing at, there really was another one of himself, only younger. And the building whose yard became the spot where he's sitting right at that moment would be none other than Dunan Castle. **Shit. I don't have time for this... **"Viki, hurry-"

"Luc! What are you doing over there?"

Luc was startled by the voice. He quickly searched for the owner of the voice in panic. That's when he realized that it's meant for the younger Luc, and the spot he and Viki landed earlier was well hidden by some bushes and trees.

"Is that Futch? Huh, that's weird. I thought he's already gotten older the last time I met him..." Viki said.

Luc―the older one―watched as Futch was approaching the younger Luc, Bright settled on his shoulder. The younger Luc looked up at him for a second, then looked back down without any answer. He was currently sitting on the border of the stone floors of the castle while his feet rested on the green grass of the castle yard. Small breezes were helping him to feel comfortable but you wouldn't find any expression of gratitude in his eyes.

Futch arrived beside him and stood there for a while looking at him then the green scenery around them.

"May I sit down here, too?" Futch didn't wait for an answer since he had already realized that the young lad beside him wouldn't give him any, especially when he's in that kind of mood. So he sat there, only a meter away from the younger moody Luc, closing his eyes as he inhaled the fresh morning air.

**No way...** The older Luc was overwhelmed as he watched how the events unfolded from behind the bush. **This is...**

**That time.**


	2. Nostalgia

**Chapter Two**

**Nostalgia**

**This is...that time.**

Viki turned from Futch and the younger Luc to the older one in front of her. Not sure why he's so dazed at the scene, she followed him and continued to watch the conversation between the two younger lads in silence.

But the conversation hadn't really developed any new sentence. Bright had left his settlement on Futch's shoulder and flew down to his laps. Futch petted him and the petite dragon let out a happy shriek.

"It's rare to see you here instead of in front of that stone tablet," Futch spoke without really looking at the one he spoke to; still petting Bright. "And it's still early in the morning, too."

Luc didn't turn his face to Futch either, but apparently he'd been listening. "The breezes here are saviors," finally he said after a while.

That made Futch turned to look at him. He smiled, then returned his attention back to Bright, who's now being teased by a butterfly. "Yeah, right. It's so peaceful, isn't it?"

The conversation ended in a peaceful silence as Futch was now completely interested in watching Bright trying to catch a butterfly. The butterfly kept on doing maneuvers to get away from the dragon's catch, but still lingering around his little head. Quietly, Luc turned his head to join Futch watching that scene, too.

The butterfly flew high out of Bright's reach and flew in circles there. Perhaps if it could, it would be laughing at the silly white dragon by now. Bright was trying to support his weight at the top of his two back feet and reached out as far as he could with his front legs. He didn't fly because Futch prevented him from spreading his wings. Futch didn't want him to learn bullying the weak.

In the end, he lost his balance and fell, making Futch burst into laughter. The butterfly then rested on Bright's head for a second before being chased out by the enraged dragon. Futch petted him to calm him down, still laughing. He then lifted Bright to the level of his face with a cheerful, loving expression in his face.

"Luc. Hey, Luc. Why do you look...pained?" Viki was asking the preoccupied guy in front of her.

Viki was right; the younger Luc sure looked like he's in pain the more he watched Bright's silly attitude and Futch's laughter.

The questioned person merely chose not to give any response to the confused teleportress. Viki was patiently waiting for an answer from his silent back until Futch developed a new conversation.

Still holding his white dragon high, Futch turned to Luc. "We can't imagine it by now, but this child will surely grow so big, that someday he'll even be too big to sit on my laps or to be lifted by my two hands like this. Amazing, huh?"

Luc looked away and started to stare at the grass again. It couldn't completely hide the darkness that shaded his eyes, though. That made Futch a little bit curious. "That is, if he manages to survive until that day," he said unenthusiasticly.

"What do you mean? Of course he will," Futch answered. He looked at Bright again with hope beaming from his eyes. "He will turn into a strong mature dragon and flap his wings into the sky, soaring reeeally high..." Bright returned Futch's look with wide, sparkling eyes. "And you might take me even higher than Black..."

"And probably will die in a war the same way he died, too," Luc replied.

Even Bright was upset as the small dragon saw how Luc's dark comments snatched away the light from Futch's eyes. Futch frowned at the depressing mage. "Can you not destroy any slight of hope at sight?"

"...No, I can't, apparently."

Futch frowned even deeper. Well, Luc might have never been a comforting company since the very first time Futch met him, but he'd never been this depressing. Usually, Luc was more like the butterfly earlier, always teased and mocked people around, but he actually had most of his time lingering around others. Although not as cute as the butterfly, he could be as energetic. Futch definitely sensed something was off with him that day.

Futch opened his mouth and the question "What's wrong?" was already at the tip of his tongue, but he hesitated. It's the kind of hesitation that you feel before you decide whether to knock on a coldly closed door or not.

And that's when a sneeze broke the silence again.

"-choo!" Another Viki popped out in front of the two surprised boys.

"Huh? Huh? Isn't that...me? Whaaat?" One of the eavesdroppers from behind the bush seemed to be surprised, too.

"Viki, keep it down, will you?" the older Luc warned her.

"But Luc, there are our dopplegangers over there! This is so awkward."

"...Viki, don't you remember anything?"

"Remember what?"

Luc sighed. "This is one day of our life 15 years ago, remember?"

"What do you mean 15 years? Has it really been that long since I know you? ...Uh, anyway, my memories are getting mixed up pretty easily, so I'm not good at remembering things..."

"Is that so..." Viki could almost detect the sadness in his eyes before he hid it by turning his attention back at their younger selves. Viki just followed his gestures quietly, too.

"-but, seriously, Viki, you should stop appearing in front of people out of nowhere like that. It's not good for the heart, you know?" Futch lectured her while regaining his calm.

"I'm so sorry! But I really can't help it once I start to sneeze..."

"Then maybe we should try asking Dr. Huan if he has any medicine to prevent you from sneezing..."

"Medicine? I don't really like- ...Umm, Luc? Are you still shocked? You look scary..."

Futch turned around to see what she meant. Fortunately, he was fast enough to catch a glimpse of Luc's paralyzed state before Luc quickly collected his composure and hid his face by looking down. Luc was stunned at Viki, maybe from shock, but then again maybe not since he was frowning. It's more like something else, like, fear...? But why would Luc be scared of Viki?

"Luc?" Futch tried to call out his name.

"Are you not feeling well, Luc?" Viki asked, which made the older Luc experienced a feeling of déjà vu. He sure had heard that exact sentence twice that day from the same person.

"Not at all," Luc simply replied without lifting up his face.

"...You look pained again," the older Viki threw her comment into the air knowing that she'd be ignored again. Luc didn't really mean to ignore her, he just didn't know what to say since it's the truth.

"You know, you've been awfully gloomy today," Futch came again.

"And it's not just today." The voice came from behind the two sitting boys.

"Whoa, Sasuke! I didn't sense you at all!" said the surprised Futch. Luc and Viki were surprised, too, but Luc didn't seem enthusiastic at all while Viki seemed to be more interested in what the young ninja had got to say.

"Well, of course. I'm a ninja. What do you expect?"

"What do you mean by 'it's not just today'?" Viki asked.

"Well, he's been like that since that particular war, isn't that so, Luc?"

"Now that you mention it... Something happened back there, didn't it?"

Luc was being even quieter and he turned his head away, gesturing that he's seriously pissed right now. The tenseness in the air had turned too fierce. Futch and Sasuke knew better than to provoke him more.

But unfortunately, not Viki. "Huh? What? Did you mean that fight with that bisho-mmpfh!" Sasuke's hand shut her mouth in time. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Sorry, Luc. That's none of our business," Futch apologized.

Luc just lowered his head, but that's not a response.

"Viki, there you are!" It's Sheena's voice.

"Huh?" both Viki reacted. Just after Sasuke had released the younger Viki, Luc had to shut the mouth of the older Viki. "I'm sorry..." she hissed from behind Luc's hand before he hesitantly released her, too.

Now everyone's attention was being stolen by the newly approaching guy. He arrived after running all the way to Viki. And judging from his fast breaths, he must have been running for quite a while.

"Hey, don't you dare disappearing on me like that, girl!" Sheena burst.

"Eh, did I? I'm so sorry!"

"Sheesh... Okay, that's not important. What's important is...you know, your answer."

The three other boys that seemed to have been listening all that time apparently began to stick their ears more closely.

"Answer? What were we talking about again?" Viki seemed to be lost.

"You forget? Seriously... I was inviting you to take a bath together, remember?"

"Whaaat? Why do I have to take a bath with Sheena?"

The three cute boys lost their interest. It's just Sheena's regular flirting; everyone's so used to it. The two continued their own conversation while the other three were back being with just themselves.

"Luc, look! Sheena's flirting with Viki again. You're usually madder about this," Sasuke teased his mage friend.

Luc just looked away. Futch and Sasuke exchanged perplexed look. They're a little saddened at the fact that Luc didn't even care to say "Shut up" like what he would generally reply. It felt somewhat lonely with their friend acting that distant.

"So vibrant already this early?" Tir said as he walked in along with Riou.

Everyone stopped to greet them with a warm "good morning", except Luc. At Tir's voice, Luc had seemed like something struck his mind and he quickly turned to look at Tir. But then he paused with an open mouth, looking so serious yet hesitant. No one seemed to notice―since everyone was now chatting with the two newcomers―until Bright poked Futch. Futch might be lost as to what's going on with his depressed friend, but as soon as he saw him, he knew that this called for a little help.

"Hey, Tir. I think Luc's got something to say to you," he said.

The called guy turned his attention towards Futch then Luc, followed by Sasuke.

Luc blinked, startled, but he's too troubled to care what favor Futch had done for him. Even after Riou, Viki, and Sheena also gradually turned their attention at this later, he's too preoccupied to care how much attention he had earned.

"You..." he began hoarsely. He tried once more after lightly clearing his throat.

"You know the future, don't you?"


	3. Redetermination

**Chapter Three**

**Redetermination**

"You know the future, don't you?"

Silence followed.

"That... That rune of yours...is a True Rune, too, right? Then you must have seen it, too, right? The end of the world?" The tense in Luc's voice kept rising that it'd be impossible for one to not notice how deadly serious he was.

"Luc..." Tir said, not too sure how to respond.

"Ever since I abused my True Wind Rune's power in that war, the visions got worse everyday. Everyday, every single day, it only shows me the world's terminus where Chaos is taken over by Order completely; that...lifeless, hollow world. If not that, it's the painful memories of lives wasted, breaths taken away, in your war, in this war, in every war this rune has recorded, and for what? It's all led by those damn True Runes! And can that even really change anything?"

"...Luc-"

"How can we actually change anything if our fate is already determined?" Luc had completely lost it, he's practically shouting the last sentence as he jumped up. His breath's racing heavily. No one knew how to stop staring at the boy while they're all at a loss of words. Now not a single one of them was doubting how deep in pain Luc was.

After a minute of tense silence, Luc sighed and looked away to the ground, eyes hidden behind his hair. "This is...pointless," he said in smaller, husky voice.

"...No, it's not," Tir replied. He walked closer to face Luc. "I see. So that's what's been troubling you, huh...? This is a serious matter."

"What? You're taking me seriously? That's rare." Luc looked up to search a hint of mockery in Tir's face but he failed.

Tir shook his head lightly, saying, "It's just natural. If you're suffering, Luc, you should try to turn to your friends. We can all talk about it together, right?" Tir looked for agreement from the two boys nearest to Luc and he got it immediately. The ninja and the dragon knight were totally in with him.

Now it's Luc's turn to be unsure how to respond. He averted eye-contacts but fortunately Tir didn't leave him long enough in his struggle to find a way to respond.

"About what you said earlier, though... Let's see... How do I put this?" Tir frowned as he engaged in the search of the best choice of words.

"It's... It's just..." said Luc, still averting eye-contacts. "I can't stand it... The more I find myself attached to something..., it's painful." His hands were clenched in fists.

Everyone stared at him in silence again, listening closely. But Luc found it too difficult to open his mouth again as the pain in his chest took away his breath.

"What...does that mean?" the older Viki whispered hesitantly.

The older Luc didn't answer since he knew she would get the answer soon.

"Could it be...you're afraid of losing something dear to you?" Tir asked.

"It's...more than that. I'm afraid of...being afraid."

It took a while for Tir to take it in. "...I see. That's a trouble."

"I'm sorry?" Viki said. "What's the trouble again? I don't quite get it..."

"Same here," Sheena followed.

Tir chuckled. "Sorry. We're kind of beating around the bush there."

Tir stepped back, trying not to turn his back at anyone. "So, the thing is... Luc finds it painful to cherish something-"

"Why?" Viki asked.

"Because the rune has been dictating to him that everything will surely return to nothingness and he is powerless to prevent that."

Everyone was silent as they took it in. Sheena felt uneasy in that kind of depressing situation and was fidgeting. He saw Futch frowning with sadness in his eyes, his hands holding Bright on his laps. Futch probably recalled the darkness he saw in Luc's eyes when the wind mage was watching Bright and himself earlier, and now he understood what it was. The fact that it's too painful for Luc to hold a hope for Bright's future could only mean that the hope he had was as high, too. Sasuke, standing behind Futch on the stone floor, was giving off a similar expression in his face. Then Sheena realized Riou standing beside himself and the depressed Viki.

"Riou, why don't you say something, too? That's a True Rune you've got there yourself, right?" Everyone turned to him when he said this.

"Well, yeah," Riou replied, scratching his head. "I did see the vision Luc mentioned, too, but only vaguely. So I don't know what I should say. And also, I think I choose to focus on the battle in front of me first, since I don't know what to do yet about a future that distant..."

"Right, that's one point," Tir agreed before he added, "Besides, I refuse to see that any loss is in vain. Ted, my old man, Odessa... All of them, they didn't just...vanish. I didn't just lose them; they all are still guiding me to live on, even now. I might not hear their voice anymore, see their face, or touch them anymore; I might even forget them one day. But still, the fact that I'm me today is a proof of their existence."

"Now I can have a voice in this," Riou said. "I may not have experienced that many losses, but I know for sure that Grandpa is still cheering me on."

"So, you see, Luc," Tir said, turning to face Luc again and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's nothing to be afraid of. On the contrary, it's actually a blessing to find something you can treasure. You can't blame something to be so precious, right? Instead, let's turn it into power to live on." Tir smiled reassuring before taking back his hand. "To be honest, I'm not sure myself on what to do regarding that 'end of the world' vision thing... But as long as we're alive, we can figure out a way to prevent that Order domination, right? There must be a way."

"Although Viki doesn't have a True Rune, Viki wants to be Luc's power, too!" Viki shouted enthusiasticly, raising one hand; apparently had gotten her usual cheerful self back. That completely returned everyone's smile along with it.

"But you forgot your own claim, didn't you?" the older Luc said with his back was all that Viki could see from him.

"What are you saying? Of course not! I'm your power, right?" Viki replied immediately, and she's being honest about it.

Whatever Luc was thinking, he never let Viki know. No words came out of him and he still had his face hidden from her.

Futch chuckled. He placed Bright back on his shoulder again and stood to face Luc. "There's no need to ask. We're always there for you, man." Bright also shrieked in agreement.

"Got your back," Sasuke voiced.

"There's no way you're leaving me behind! Count me in!" Sheena shouted.

Riou chuckled. "This is why I love this army. Everyone's been the strength to keep me going. That's only natural if I want to return the favor, no? Let me be your strength, too, Luc."

Luc'd been looking at them one by one in amazement. He never thought he'd received that amount of supports. Somehow he's back to replying coldly again. "Since when did I give you my strength?" he replied to Riou.

"Oh, don't act dumb," Tir came back. "You might think that no one's looking, but I saw that. That night when I couldn't sleep after I lost Gremio, you were caressing the engraved names on the Stone Tablet of Promise that had turned red. I can't forget the sad look on your face."

"Wha-" Luc's eyes widened at this and a light flush colored his cheeks.

"You may act like you don't give a damn about this whole war thing, but angel knows you're more emotionally involved in this," Tir nodded convincingly as he concluded.

"That's-!" Luc blushed even redder.

"Aw, that's sweet," Sheena commented.

"Ooh, Luc!" Viki rushed to hug him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Wh-wh-what the hell are you doing? Let go!" Luc pushed her away harshly in embarrassment, face as red as it could be.

Everyone except for the couple in the center of attention laughed loudly. Even Viki also laughed with them without ever understanding what they were laughing at.

"Stop laughing!" Luc yelled desperately.

"That's the Luc we know!" Futch said in the middle of his laughing session.

"Now, now," Sheena said while trying to stop laughing. "This calls for a good bathing-together!" he said with one hand threw in the air.

"Sounds good to me," Tir said as he began to walk away.

Luc still froze in there while everyone had taken their steps toward the bath, watching quietly still in some kind of amazement left behind.

"Wait, what about meee?" Viki asked as she walked along with everyone.

"Didn't you hear me? Of course we're bathing together!" Sheena replied cheerfully.

"Sheena, don't even try," Riou warned him.

"What's wrong with that? It's not so rare in other countries to have a mixed bath!"

"Ha ha ha, where's your manner to your leader, Sheena? You never learn, do you?" Tir hit Sheena's head lightly.

The older Viki could swear she saw a hint of smile on the younger Luc's face before it faded into sadness again. She looked for a clue from the older one in front of her, but he kept on turning his back on her.

Luc was in a trance as he watched his younger self closely. He still remembered clearly what was in his mind at that moment; the ring belled almost obviously in his head.

**Everyone...is so nice.**

**Light of hope surely suits them. They definitely have to stay that way, smiling and laughing brightly forever.**

**Then maybe I can believe...in their future.**

**But...**

**The me that can't see any future aside from the hopeless one...**

**...is unacceptable.**

"Luc! What are you waiting for now?" Futch called out to him. Everyone stopped and smiled to him, waving their hands in an inviting gesture.

The older Luc turned around to face Viki, not watching as his younger self started to follow behind their friends quietly, holding back in his effort to hide the urge to rush towards his dearest friends immediately. The older one thought it was funny how he ended up with a reborn determination while he was originally fooling around because he had unconsciously lost to the part of him that wanted to run away from his mission. Viki looked at him in the eyes as he said, "Let's go back."

"Awww, right now?"

"Right now. I have...a future to fight for."


	4. Eternity

**Chapter Four**

**Eternity**

Futch was there, outside the Ceremonial Site when it started to collapsed. He'd been meaning to, but he didn't get to face Luc in his final battle. They still needed help outside to finish off the remaining monsters lurking, so he's stuck.

He saw through it when the four parties of True Elemental Rune bearers made it out alive. Then he saw it. A ray of light beamed to the sky from the ruins.

Mixed feelings of regret, sorrow, and anguish stirred a storm inside his stomach and choked him hard. He directed his face downwards in his effort to contain himself. "Is this...in order to be able to love?" he whispered, his voice's shaking.

He shot his fists to the ground, failing miserably to stay calm. "Stupid bastard! What good will it do if you have to throw away your life like that? Didn't we say we would figure it out together? You..."

He gritted his teeth as he tried to get back up slowly.

"You forgot what's important, didn't you? Idiot..."

Viki saw that, too, the light that's indicating that True Wind Rune had left its vessel from outside the Ceremonial Site. Viki just couldn't take in the meaning of this, she wasn't sure how to look away from where the light disappeared...

"...Viki?" The small Viki looked up at her. She saw...tears...flowing out uncontrollable from big Viki's stunned eyes. She tried to call out her name once again, and slowly, the big Viki turned to look down at her.

"Huh?" was what sounded like what she tried to say, but the word was stuck somewhere in her throat and only resulted in a choked voice. She herself was surprised at how difficult it was for her to speak.

"...Don't you think it's inappropriate to cry in the middle of victory celebration?" little Viki said in a softer tone than she usually used.

"...Cry?" Big Viki lifted her hands to touch her cheeks where tears had made them wet. "I-I don't...understand... Why am I...crying...?" She wiped them repeatedly, but the tears kept coming out. "It... It won't stop..."

Little Viki looked at her with sympathy in her eyes. Then she offered a hand and said, "Here. Level with me for a minute."

Big Viki tried to bend down, but she failed to measure her remaining strength. She didn't realize that her legs had been shaking heavily and almost without any power to support them, so she fell on her knees. She gasped, and when she did, a sob came out and it grew uncontrollable ever since. She gradually bended down as she was crying out loud until she buried her face in her laps. It had already got out of her hands.

Little Viki touched her head with her offered hand before she caressed her warmly. "It's alright..." she whispered softly to her ears. Then she chanted a sleeping spell, and the sobs slowly vanished completely.

When she came to, she was as cheerful as ever before disappearing again without ever enjoying the victory banquet. She did what she'd always been doing all her life; making friends and fought for the good cause.

Two wars later, she encountered once again the Stone Tablet of Promise. She wasn't sure how, but when she saw that, she felt that she definitely had to fight her best because someone was depending on her.

Because she promised that she'd be a power for someone out there.

**A/N: The end, guys! Thank you sooo much for reading it this far! And even more thankies for you who have added this fic to your favorites! *bow* I know it's kind of bittersweet, but I've warned you. But seriously, this is one of my version of what's in Luc's mind regarding his motivation for being the antagonist in Suikoden III. I tried so hard to walk in my reader's shoes in order to make this as understandable as I can! I'm so afraid of writing something that only I can understand after all the efforts. And I'm so sorry I actually forgot the chronology in Suikoden II's storyline, so I have no idea when this dialogue could have taken place. Perhaps due to my lack of skills, you guys could have missed it but I tried to express a message with my story about getting over a loss. Personally, it's a precious lesson for me. And beside that, I remembered Marmora-san said something about not understanding why Luc is so lovable, and I know other people who would agree with her, so I just kind of tried to expose the Luc that I love for them, hehe... Hope you guys get a better picture with this. **

**By the way, Fortune Hunter-san just told me that it'd be funny if Little Viki was Luc and Viki's child... Why don't you try to read this chapter once again with this in mind? It'd give off a different sensation, you know. ;P**

**Pretty pretty pleeease tell me how amazing or how disgusting this fic is for you, a review or PM would be veeery appreciated. I guess I'm even worse at grammar than what I think myself (wait, did my statement just contradict itself?) so please pardon the grammar errors, I'm currently trying to fix my knowledge at that. And also pardon my limited vocabularies. Did you find any word, phrase, or term that I used repeatedly to the extent of disturbing? Please tell me. I'm really looking for a future improvement. Thank you so much once again for bearing with me this far! Thank you and please review~! :D**


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